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Critical Approaches to Circular Economy Research: Time, Space and Evolution

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Sustainable Consumption and Production, Volume II

Abstract

This chapter takes a critical approach to circular economy research, focusing upon time, space and evolution. It explores the varying roles of products in the CE and the divergent claims in CE discourse relating to the temporal reconfiguration of material flows. The discussion of alternative CE strategies reveals a fundamental tension that sets strict limits on their mobilisation as complementary solutions to environmental pressures. Following this, we continue our focus on material flows to question the spaces and scales in which CE traditionally occurs, considering the everyday embeddedness of CE and practices of circularity which are often hidden or invisible. The final section turns attention to how material flows drive change within complex adaptive systems, specifically focusing on how such systems can respond to changes in material flow in unexpected and undermining ways over different temporal or spatial scales.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    http://www.klimaretter.info/forschung/hintergrund/20693-kritiker-murks-studie-ist-selber-murks (retrieved on 12 December 2019).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Circular Economy Group, Sustainable Consumption Institute, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK

    Helen Holmes, Harald Wieser & Julia Kasmire

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  1. Helen Holmes
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  2. Harald Wieser
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Correspondence to Helen Holmes .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Sustainability Research and Misum, Stockholm School of Economics, Stockholm, Sweden

    Ranjula Bali Swain

  2. Center for Sustainability Research and Department of Marketing and Strategy, Stockholm School of Economics, Stockholm, Sweden

    Susanne Sweet

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Holmes, H., Wieser, H., Kasmire, J. (2021). Critical Approaches to Circular Economy Research: Time, Space and Evolution. In: Bali Swain, R., Sweet, S. (eds) Sustainable Consumption and Production, Volume II. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-55285-5_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-55285-5_4

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